This invention relates to plant growing mediums and the method and means for efficiently irrigating only the soil in the plant growing medium being utilized by the plants.
Numerous approaches have been followed in irrigating soil as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,843 wherein water from the water table is transmitted to an earth covered trench having a layer of bentonite via a series of bores filled with capillary material. This approach presents a number of problems even if the water table is accessible. The bores are in direct contact with the soil and will yield water to the surrounding soil as it is being transmitted upwardly and thus soil to the side as well as above will be moisturized. This is the problem with all types of irrigation. The soil utilized for growing the plants is not the only soil being irrigated and thus most of the water is not productively utilized. If the water is placed on top of the ground, it is also lost to the atmosphere through evaporation.
Furthermore, ideally the plants need a growing medium that gives them a choice in satisfying their water requirements and thus a growing medium is needed that will sustain plants having varying water requirements. The growing medium should allow for different plants to grow together whether their roots grow deep or shallow.
The present invention provides such a growing medium and soil irrigation system.